House of Cards
by MutantSquirrel
Summary: wrote this to begin at the end of freak nation and then read 'Awkward' in the Max and Alec community and cried that it was so much better than mine. Sigh. Anyway. This is Max/Alec, slowly developing their relationship. Luv you all. Keep typing!
1. Chapter 1

House of Cards

The flag fluttered in the breeze, spreading the dove's wings and giving it the illusion of flight. Alec never thought something like that could affect him but the sight sent tingles shooting down his spine. Sure this was crazy, sure the people of Terminal City where cornered like rats in a hole but for once in Alec's life he didn't want to run, didn't want do the smart thing and leave someone else to fight.

He had felt slightly bemused with himself before when Max had made her 'stay and fight' speech and he had found himself raising his fist in agreement almost before he realised what he was doing, but today he felt it, he wanted this to be his home.

He also felt the ache in his arm from the bullet wound that was still healing as well as his other bruises; gifts from White's familiar. Logan had given him shit about it but hey, he hadn't been fighting with lead in his shoulder.

Logan. Alec sighed.

He was standing next to him, between him and Max. It felt uncomfortably like he was staking his claim as he gripped her hand through his glove. Whatever, Max was a big girl; if she wanted to hold the guys hand she could, even if it hurt her in the long run. Her cover story of her and Alec being together was well blown now.

People trickled away in ones and two's back to tasks or to get some rack time before the next shift at the command centre. Alec glanced at Max, still staring at the flag and realised she hadn't rested since the escape from Jam Pony. Sure she didn't need to sleep often but she had been going non stop for several days. Logan piped up before he could.

"You should get some rest Max, you need to keep up your strength." He said, touching her arm. Max looked stricken

"I can't take a break, not yet Logan, there's too much to do, getting water, getting food, I can't let them down."

"I've got you covered Max." Alec broke in "Get some Z's. Me and the L man can hold the fort for a few hours." Alec said slapping Logan on the shoulder jovially. Logan shot him a look that said he was surprised at his generosity but nodded to Max. Max felt so tired she was ready to wilt at their feet.

"I haven't found any quarters yet. I guess I could sleep at Joshua's…"

"Then you'll be crashing at mine." Alec replied smoothly. "Our place is a couple streets from here, come on I'll take you there." He said turning and taking her arm gently. "Be back in 5 Logan. Call me if something happens; you know balls of fire falling from the sky; the riders of the apocalypse; whatever you can't handle on your own."

Max was so tired she didn't resist Alec, falling into step beside him as he led her down through HQ and out onto the street. A few transgenics saluted her and she wearily returned them.

"Since when do you and Josh live together Alec?" she questioned him warily.

"Since he found the best pad in the entirety of Terminal City. Anyway couldn't leave him on his own, the boy gets lonely enough as it is"

She stopped dead when she saw it. The broken Neon sign proclaimed it Tricks and treats bar, the outline of a voluptuous woman beside the name. It had been among other things a strip club. Max's tiredness turned to anger almost immediately.

"No way Alec, I can't believe you dragged Joshua into living here."

"Relax, it's not that bad on the inside." He said unlocking the door. "Josh redecorated. I tried to stop him but all the pictures of naked women are gone." Max stalked inside after him, annoyed she had no where else to go. The interior was dark until Alec flipped a switch. Dozens of strands of fairy lights hung from the roof letting off a soft glow. The walls were a warm ochre; Joshua's abstract murals spiralling over them in aqua and teal. It was surprisingly homely, comforting even.

"We're leaching power off some X6's generator down the road. Josh says he couldn't find any normal lights but I think he just likes them."

The bar had been turned into the open plan kitchen. Comfy sofa's where stacked into the corners of the room. Alec's presence as a living companion to Joshua was displayed prominently in the giant plasma TV and sound system he had boosted from somewhere resting on what use to be a dancing platform.

"Place even gets cable." Alec boasted. Max rolled her eyes.

He pointed her through the large living space into one of the smaller back rooms.

"That's the spare room, the big man was hoping you would come so it kind of set up for you. Josh's mac and cheese in the fridge if you're hungry. Don't drink the milk, it's off by a few days." Alec said almost sheepishly as he turned to go.

"Oh yeah, by the way I think the girls here were doing a bit more than taking off their clothes, they left behind some phenomenal beds." He said exiting too quickly.

Max took her jacket off and hung it over a chair and looked around a little at Josh's painting and even flicked on Alec's TV before she opened the door to the spare room.

Again she stopped dead. A giant king sized bed dominated the space, piled opulently with pillows. The headboard of the bed was strung with fairy lights, a corner of the duvet pulled back to reveal crimson satin sheets. It screamed sex and lasciviousness.

"Figures." She said shaking her head and sighing but she crawled between the sheets trusting Josh had washed them, flicked the lights off and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys, thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading. Mostly I'll be keeping the posts bite size and seeing if I can upload quickly so the story doesn't fizzle out between chapters but this one has a flash back to the episode borrowed time so it a little longer. This is the part where Max finds a temporary cure and Alec and Asha almost hook up. I pretty much copied two entire scenes straight from the series, sorry if that is really bad form, just seemed relevant._

_Oh also I am not intentionally copying anyone else's fic, it just appears that way because I thought the story line up before I read theresl_

_This one is also slightly more angsty, sorry. Tell me what you think especially if you don't like it and tell me if any of the characters don't seem right. Love you guys!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel, just ripping it off and passing it on as my own, yadda yadda. ;P_

* * *

**Chapter 2: I don't want to be your friend.**

_At crash, what now seems like a life time ago:_

The barkeep poured him a scotch, neat. It burned as it went down but it was a friendly fire; the sensation a familiar one.

He was alone. Max had given him his 20G from fencing the film they had stolen and was probably 'getting busy' somewhere with Logan right now, her virus cured.

_Good for them. _

He was surprised at what a bitter taste it left in his mouth. Not because he wanted her for himself, no just lonely old Alec sitting at a bar with nothing but a scotch to keep him company. He laughed at his own melodrama and noticed Asha sitting at the opposite end of the bar. Oh, the wicked irony.

"Barkeep! Another scotch." He said pushing his empty glass towards the man.

"And a, uh, tequila shot for the pretty blonde."

"That's all right. I was just leaving." She said a little ruffled

"Come on." He cajoled giving her his best roguish smile. She gave in and came to stand next to him but declined the proffered shot.

"All right, but once you hear the good news about Max and Logan, you might be wanting that drink."

"What news?" She said the jealousy he knew would be there evident in her voice.

"Why don't you fortify yourself?" he replied laconically handing her the drink.

"Bottoms up."

Getting himself as close to trashed as possible seemed the only thing to do. He was actually feeling quite buzzy and he was impressed with how well Asha was keeping up with him. She raised her glass up in salute; her earlier reserve with him vanished.

"Logan and Max." He lifted his too.

"Max and Logan."

"Every happiness."

"Ha!" he snorted and downed the drink.

"Wonder what they're doing right now." She said her chin in her hands. He gave her a look.

"You know what I mean." She said a surprising amount of wistfulness in her voice. "Logan's so romantic--I bet he made her dinner. Wine...candles...I bet it's perfect." _A perfect drag. _Alec thought rolling his eyes

"Yeah, that sounds like them. I mean, why consummate two years of unbridled passion when we can have pasta?" he said emphasising the food type with ridicule.

"You're a pig. You don't know anything about love." She spat with mock indignation.

"Well, I know more than you think." He said looking at her, amused "Besides, you're a liar."

"How so?" She queried intrigued.

"Because you don't wish them all the happiness in the world; you want Logan for yourself. I mean, come on. You had it all dialed in when Max was back at Manticore, presumed dead. You and Logan, doing your hero thing, spending hours together in his fancy little apartment, all tuned up about the ways of the world. It was a good time for you, right?" Asha sighed looking forlorn.

"Yeah, he was thinking about Max every second of every day. He never believed she was dead. And when she came back, he was the happiest I'd ever seen him." Alec was surprised to hear of Logan's dedication; it was at one point admirable and yet completely futile considering the odds that what happened would happen.

"Yeah, until the virus thing." he said not without a hint of guilt.

"Even with the virus, they never gave up on each other." Asha sat back resolute "And no matter how I feel about it, I have to respect that. Because that, my friend, is true love."

" Yeah, right." Alec said shaking his head "Have they ever even once said 'I love you'? No. No. Max...Max would choke on the words. Logan...eh, he'd say it, in an email." He turned to mimicking Max unflatteringly "'He's not my boyfriend. We were never even like that. It was never the right time. No, Logan is a repressed WASP and Max is a" He paused for a second thinking of the right expression, the term that came to him reminded him of himself "...a broken toy. The two of them will never work out together." He stated emphatically

" And _you_ are cynical."

" No. I'm someone who believes in going after what he wants, and damn the consequences."

And he did know what he wanted; he wanted to go home with someone tonight and not think about how much Max and Logan finally being together galled him. Asha's eyes were luminous with drink, staring at him and he knew she wanted exactly the same thing. He leaned forward lowering his voice intimately "When you've been dead a hundred years, little girl, you have only just begun to be dead. We're living on borrowed time. And if you don't put your heart out there on the line, then you're never really living at all. If _I_ loved someone, I'd tell 'em. And if I _wanted_ someone, then I would let her know, straight up." _Except if telling her was pointless. _ A little part of him whispered. He ignored it, Instead he delivered the line flawlessly.

"Asha, I want you. Come home with me."

* * *

Logan ambushed him the moment he walked through HQ's door after dropping off Max.

"We need to talk… now." He said his voice and face set with gravity. Alec repressed a sigh. _I know._

"Sure Logan, whatever." He replied nonchalantly. He cast a quick eye around the bustling command centre noticing with amusement Original Cindy chatting up some X5 hottie. Trust her to be working her charms in the middle of a war zone.

"So is this the kind of chat that is open for all ears to hear or should we go some place more private?" He said pointedly. Logan glanced sideways, for the first time noticing the curious glances tuned to their conversation.

"More private would be better." He replied.

"So shoot." Alec said when they where alone and away from prying eyes, ears, and whatever other transgenic senses he didn't know about. Logan breathed in and paused, collecting his thoughts.

"You and Max aren't together."

"Nope."

"You never were together,"

"Right again."

"So all this was designed to keep me away from Max, to protect her from hurting me."

"I think that would be killing you to be precise Logan, yes." Logan sighed and his face fell.

"It's too hard for her, me being around isn't it." Alec stayed silent for a moment, most of the time he felt slightly annoyed with the overly chivalrous martyr act Logan had going but he did like the man. He really didn't want to feel sorry for the guy, it made telling him the truth so much harder; he wasn't sure if Max would thank him for it or not.

"On top of everything else she has to deal with at the moment? I would say pretty much, yeah." It was Logan's turn to stay silent, his eyes glazed for an instant and he nodded his head slightly as if he had made up his mind.

"I'll go then, tomorrow." He said softly and strode away.

Alec watched him go and felt a little twist in his guts; somewhere, some part of him had a vested interest in this, and right now he really didn't like that part.


End file.
